The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image pickup element, a method of driving the same, and a camera system using the same.
The Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) Image Sensor (CIS) has a feature that it can relatively freely set a read address in comparison with the Charge Coupled Device (CCD) image sensor.
For example, an image sensor having functions such as “addition,” “elimination,” and “cutout” in addition to a function of reading signals from all of pixels of a sensor is widely used. In this case, with the function of “addition,” pixel signals are read out from plural pixels at the same time, respectively. With the function of “elimination,” pixel signals are intermittently read out from the pixels while rows and columns are skipped. Also, with the function of “cutout,” pixel signal are read out only from a part of the pixels.
“Addition,” “elimination,” and “cutout” are carried out at the same time in some cases.
In an image sensor having the functions of “elimination,” “addition,” and “cutout,” since a reading operation and a shutter operation become complicated, a shift register for row selection is not used, but a row scanning circuit (row selecting circuit) including a decoder is used in many cases.
The row selecting circuit has a function of outputting a row selection signal for a row address for a read row from which pixel signals are intended to be read out, and a shutter row from which electric charges accumulated in photoelectric conversion elements of pixels are discharged to carry out resetting in accordance with an address signal from an address decoder.
Shutter control and the like in such a row selecting circuit have been variously proposed until now. The shutter control and the like, for example, are described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2008-193618 and 2008-288903.